Spirit 3: Courage, Candice and CrossCountry!
by starryequine
Summary: Spirit and Rain's second child, Storm Cloud is born. I put Spirit 3 because I wrote 'the Spirit of Summer' which is also on here. Summer's younger brother is eager to be a crosscountry horse, but nobody believes in him. So Summer and Stormy's marefriend h
1. Chapter 1: Storm Cloud

"_Looking back, I can remember everything; the first time I saw my mother and father, the first time I set my eyes on a cross-coutry course being cleared by other horses, and wishing that I could do it too. I remember the first time I set foot on the course. It was like magic. I remember racing round it and soaring over the fences like they were on fire. I remember it all, especially the most important year of my life; the year that I became a champion…"_

Rain lay panting in the long grass with Spirit laying beside her. Esperanza stood close by, making sure that the rest f the herd let Rain and Spirit have some space with their new foal when it arrived.

Spirit nuzzled the paint mare's withers as Rain's breathing got faster and deeper.

At last, the foal was born. It was a colt, and he was a mixture of skewbald and golden dun.

Rain sighed and snorted, then got to her feet. The colt tried to copy er, but he couldn't stand properly yet.

Rain licked him clean with the help of Spirit, and within half an hour, the foal was standing on his wobbly legs and blinking as he looked around him.

Esperanza trotted over to meet her new grandson, and she licked his ears.

Rain shook her mane and turned her head to face Spirit.

"What should we call him?" Rain asked.

Spirit thought long and hard. "What about Swift?"

"Hmm… I was thinking of Storm, after my father." Rain replied after a few moments.

"What about Strider, after my father?" Spirit answered.

"Or maybe Striding Storm?" Esperanza suggested, taking a step towards Spirit and Rain.

"Storms don't stride, mother!" Spirit whinnied.

"Well, it doesn't matter… How about Spirit Within?" Esperanza replied.

Rain rolled her eyes.

"No, we can't call him Spirit, that's my name, and Within sounds a bit weird!" Spirit sighed.

Rain suddenly reared up, "I've got it! I've thought of the perfect name; Storm Cloud. Then his shortened name can be Stormy!"

Spirit and Esperanza stared at her.

"That's an excellent name!" They said in unison.

Rain sat beside their new colt. "You like that name don't you, Stormy?" She said softly.

The little colt gazed at his parents, then at the other horses as they walked slowly towards the proud family. Storm Cloud whinnied comically, and then fell asleep next to his parents.


	2. Chapter 2: Grown Up

Storm Cloud grew up quickly, and was just as strong and fast as his father, Spirit. Storm Cloud's older sister, Summer always liked to challenge him to races, and Summer always won them, because she was a champion racehorse. Luckily for Storm Cloud, he was only a little slower than his sister, but still really fast at the same time, and he loved to jump the hedges and logs on the woods nearby.

One day, the herd were galloping a long way to a new homeland after a different and stronger herd had taken over the previous land.

Spirit led them to a new land with a beautiful stream running through it, and it had a tall hill and lots of extra space around it for the horses to gallop around. Storm Cloud stood on the hill with Lightning, Summer's stallion. Even though Stormy was younger than Summer and Lightning, they all liked spending time together as a family. Summer had had a foal just a few months ago, and she was teaching him all she knew about racing. Lightning whinnied with laughter as the foal overtook Summer at a full gallop.

"Lightning," Storm Cloud began, "I was wondering… I've been looking at that long path with all those logs and hedges and other things in it. What is it?"

Lightning shook his mane.

"That's a cross-country course, Stormy." He answered.

"Oh. What does it do?" Storm Cloud asked,

"Nothing. The horses have to jump over the fences, that's the logs and hedges, oh, and those other things are an assortment of different jumps. The horse needs to be really fast around the course, and clear all those jumps. Clearing them means you have to jump over them without the rider falling off or you knocking anything off the jump!" Lightning replied.

Storm Cloud nodded and stared at some large boxes on wheels that had just arrived there. Humans began to get out of the cars that were driving them, and unloading the horses. Of course, Storm Cloud didn't know what they were or what the humans were doing.

He moved closer for a better look, and stood by the fence next to the cross country course.

"_The horses seemed to have funny leather things on their heads, and weird seats on their backs with a cloth underneath them. Summer told me that the things on their heads were called bridles, and the things on their backs are saddles.Humans began to sit on the saddles and ride the horses around some enclosed ring, jumping over one jump. Summer told me that they were practising in a practise ring. From the moment I saw them begin the cross-country, I was hooked…"_

"I want to be a cross-country horse!" Storm Cloud said.

"Even if it means wearing these strange saddles and bridles, and having humans riding me. I'll do it! I'll find a human and ask them to ride me in a cross country competition!"

Summer stepped forward.

"There's more to it than that," she said, "You need to go through months, maybe even years of rigorous training. It's not easy."

Storm Cloud looked downcast for a moment, but then he snorted,

"I'm going to try anyway. I want this, and I'm not giving up!"

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3: Courage

"I was determined to be a cross-country horse, so I began to train myself, using the resources in the woods, like logs and hedges, to jump over. It was easy! The rest of the herd supported and encouraged me. I was sure that I would be able to be a cross country horse. One day, something happened that would change my life forever!…"

Storm Cloud's hooves pounded against the ground as he galloped towards a large log in the woods. He quickened his stride, and soared over it with inches to spare. Then he turned to the fallen tree, and cleared it in one asy bound. He finished with a huge leap over a hedge, and began to trot to cool himself down. The rest of the herd neighed as if they were cheering.

Spirit cantered towards Storm Cloud and congratulated him.

"What do you think, dad?" Storm Clod asked Spirit.

"I think you're ready!" Spirit replied.

Just at that moment, Storm Cloud heard a mare whinnying to him. He looked up. It wasn't Rain, or Esperanza, or any of the other herd members either! Stormy turned round to see a pretty iron grey Arab mare blinking sweetly at him, her black mane and tail flowing in the gentle breeze, and her delicately dished face with pretty hazel eyes looking straight at him.

Storm Cloud stared dreamily at her, taking no notice of the rider on the mare's back.

Lightning trotted past, ignoring the mare, but she ignored him aswell, and raised an eyelid at him, then half-reared and cantered away.

"Wait!" Storm Cloud cried, as he began to follow her in a gallop.

The mare wasn't looking where she was going, and was heading for the river, where the current was really strong.

Storm Cloud whinnied to her, but she was too busy looking at him, that she was too late to stop, and she and her rider fell in to the river.

Storm Cloud reared up, and ran at a full gallop to rescue the mare.

"That was just what I did for you. Remember?" Spirit told Rain, as they watched their brave son racing alongside the river. Storm Cloud reached the edge and jumped straight in to save the Arab mare.

"That is _exactly_ what I did!" Spirit said, now feeling very nervous.

Storm Cloud's legs were strong after all the times he had been practising his jumping, and he reached the mare, and with all his might, he waded pulled her on to his back and waded over to her rider. Summer had an idea, she galloped at top speed in to the woods, and returned pushing a large stick that she had found in the wood enterance. Lightning helped her to push it towards the river with their noses. They eventually reached the river, and with a final push, the large stick jammed itself across the river, stopping the water flowing.

Storm Cloud helped the mare get up on to the land, and went back for the human girl.

When everyone was on land, they all helped to remove the stick to let the water flow again.

All the horses neighed triumphantly at Storm Cloud, congratulating him for the rescue.

"Thankyou Mustang. If it weren't for you, my human and I would have drowned!" The Arab mare said softly to Stormy.

"All my cross-country training really paid off!" Storm Cloud thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4: Candice

That night, Storm Cloud stood on top of the hill, watching some humans at the stables mucking out the horses and putting them to bed for the night.

He sighed contentedly, and didn't hear Candice striding towards him.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Hi!" Storm Cloud replied, turning to face her.

Up close, Storm Cloud noticed how pretty Candice was. He smiled shyly.

"Um…thanks for saving me today." Candice said.

"Oh it was nothing! I know it sounds dumb, but I've been pracising my jumping and galloping, and it's made my legs stronger. That's how I was able to wade through the water to get to you…and…yeah!" Storm Cloud explained, chuckling.

Candice giggled.

"Can I…um…join you?" Candice asked.

Storm Cloud couldn't believe his luck. Candice liked him!

"Yeah. Sure!" He answered.

Candice lowered herself to the ground and lay down beside Stormy.

"Can I ask you something?" Candice said.

"Fire away!" Stormy answered, laying down beside the pretty grey mare.

"I…" Candice began. She laughed for a second. "I was wondering, do you have a mare? You know…" She finished, blinking sweetly at him.

"No, and I never have!" Storm Cloud replied truthfully.

"I'm too much of a reject! Who'd wanna love me?" He lowered his head, and laid back his ears. Candice could see a tear welling up in his eye.

"I happen to know someone who would be willing to be your mare-friend!" Candice answered.

"She's grey. She's an Arab…like me!" She began.

"And…?" Storm Cloud asked, still downcast.

"…And she's right next to you!" Candice finished, smiling.

Storm Cloud's eyes widened, and he stared at Candice.

"Y-you really mean it?" He asked, shocked.

"Yeah, only if you don't mind!" Candice said.

"Mind? MIND? I'd love to be your stallion!" Storm Cloud cried. He threw his head in to the air and whinnied loudly, rearing and tossing his mane.

"I take that as a yes!" Candice joked. She moved her head closer and nuzzled Stormy.

When she moved her head away, she gazed at him lovingly.

Storm Cloud didn't hesitate, he kissed Candice!

This was it. He'd done it!

Storm Cloud for Candice…

But little did they know, someone was watching them. A face that Candice vowed she'd never want to see again!…

* * *

A/N: Drumroll please! No prizes for guessing who that someone might be! Please Review:) 


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